Gas Busting Charging Handles

General Firearms NFA
1

Would love to hear some real world experiences / feedback on which brands of gas busting charging handles work, as well as which ones don’t.

Aero
SOLGW (kind of looks like it’s the same as the Aero)
Geissele
Radian
PRI
And any others that I missed

Or are they just snake oil?

Thanks!

2

Here’s the thing. I have been intentional about buying barrels (BRT suppressed only 11.5, BRT OPTIMUM 16”, Criterion CORE 13.9) that aren’t overgassed. So with that as a starting point, I use the Radian SD-SL on my suppressed carbines. I look at it as a cumulative effect with the gas port size. I haven’t been bothered by gas in the face.

3

All my guns are suppressed. I’ve tried all the charging handle hotness and… meh. Maaaaaybe a small difference using the Radian SD but my goto has been the Geissele ACH.

I also have this doohickey on all my guns and believe it it not it makes a bigger difference to gas face than the charging handle: https://www.weaponoutfitters.com/simplistic-shooting-solutions-ar-gas-vent.html

All this being said, a properly gassed barrel will go much further than anything else. If a tuned barrel isn’t an option then I like the Superlative Arms gas blocks. For HD guns I prefer to not have anything that could fail so anything adjustable is relegated to “fun” guns. Not that I think they are fragile or anything; it’s just my OCD.

4

I’ve tried the PRI, BCM, Radian, and Geissele. I think the PRI is the most effective, and I also like it functionally/ergonomically.

With that said, the further forward on the gun that the tuning takes place, the more effective. Most of my guns have BRT gas tubes on them at this point.

5

Good points on proper gassing. I almost put a disclaimer in my original post concerning can and barrel choice. On my three 5.56 guns gassing is spot on (Centurion, G and Colt barrels) I loathe adjustable gas blocks for reasons. Using an OCL Polonium the gas to the face is not horrible but it exists. I have a K can on the way, which is supposed to be less gassy on the shorter barrels but time will tell. The gassy mo fo’s are my two X39 builds. Port size on those is rather large at .090 and carbine length but they run and eject 100% Those two are running a Razor 7.62.

6

I bought all the PRI etc CH’s and LMT enhanced BCG’s and A5 buffer’s all trying to mitigate gas and make my gun run smoother, all made it a little better. But as was said before, handling the gas generated by the gun is the real answer. I dont regret buying all those good products, and properly gassed is always the utmost solution.

PB

7

I agree with what everyone is saying, but you also can’t leave out the fact that while you may have a perfectly set up rifle when it comes to the gas set up, each can behaves differently. Some cans are just better at mitigating gas blowback than others. See some of the new flow through designs like HUX. Or on the other end of the cost spectrum, look at YHM who’s new version of the T3 line has baffle tech in it to reduce blowback as well. And if you are one of those type of people who run multiple cans on multiple rifles fine tuning the gas system to the specific can might not be feasible. I think the gas busting charging handles can be one part of the equation but are not the total solution. Just trying to figure out if its worth the money to go down this road.

8

I’m curious to hear how well the new BCM charging handles do once people start getting hands-on with them.

9

My SBR is very well managed as far as gas goes. It’s barely functional without the can on full house 5.56 NATO pressure ammo.

11.5" Sionics RGP barrel, SLR Ti adjustable GB, LMT EBCG, Vltor A5 with Tubbs AR10 flat wire spring and A5H2 buffer. SiCo Specwar 556.

I have found that the Geissele Airborne CH has been the best. Better than Radian Raptor or Raptor SD. Better than BCM GF (though the BCM was closest in my exp). Better than PRI. Etc.

The really square profile of the shaft of the CH seems to occupy more of the space inside of the upper, leaving less room for gas to move backwards toward your face.

Indoors, with 5.56 pressure Federal M193 55gr, and no eye pro (for testing), I get zero gas to face for one-two shots. Stationary in a rest. The Geissele Airborne has been the only CH to get me there, so far. BCM was closer than anybody else, but that ended up on a non-suppressed gun (fantastic CH, btw).

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10

Experienced with the Geissele and PRI, both GTG.

11

Are you talking about the new BCM charging handles, optimized for use in their Mk2 upper receiver, or the older models?

12

You know what, I think it was the prior gen. This exact one:

https://bravocompanyusa.com/bcm-ambidextrous-charging-handle-5-56mm-223-mod-4x4-medium-latches/

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13

Yeah it def does not have these circles (and the milling is different):

https://bravocompanyusa.com/bcm-ambidextrous-mk2-charging-handle-medium-latch-5-56mm-223/

I will say though, that my theory about the square-ish profile of the rod portion still applies. See the ACH here:

https://geissele.com/airborne-charging-handle-5-56-black.html

Long time BCM fan, great to see them active again (seemed like they went quiet for a bit). I would love to take a stab at the new one, but I’ve no BCM mk2 receivers and likely wouldn’t be using it as-designed/optimized for suppressed use.

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14

Thanks. I was curious because the new BCM has holes on the bottom for helping to vent gas away from your face. I was about ready to get one of the FCD’s when the BCM dropped.

15

All of my BCM gasbusters are that gen, also. Mostly that exact model. I’ve got one of the older BCM/Vltor marked ones, too, but I don’t remember if it was marketed for that.

16

The Aero Precision handles are rather square. $60 at Brownells, less with coupon, if it interests you.

17

Good to know! Thank you. Yeah I am thinking…since gas is traversing down the shaft, along the inside of the upper, it just makes sense to me to occupy that space without creating a tolerance-stack issue (and leaving some room for fouling).

Honestly the generation of BCM I have, I like very much and have no issue using ion a non-suppressed weapon. Feel great, look great (I actually like the way they look more than the Geissele), work great.

Yeah mine do not have holes on the bottom. The new design seems interesting. Hinge points are weak points, so interested to see some user data on how those hold up.

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18

I have one of the BCM/Vltor charging handles and have had a very positive experience with it. Gas blow back has not been bad at all. I have an older model than the one Buford posted. I thought about getting a PRI but I paid $40 for the BCM and don’t feel like paying double for a charging handle.

19

I was actually fairly unimpressed with the PRI gasbuster, considering the reputation it carries. You would be better off getting a newer BCM than the PRI, in my limited experience.

I sold my PRI, if that tells you anything. And that was prior to grabbing a Geissele ACH.

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20

Happy I didn’t pick one of those up. I will stick with my older bcm/vltor one. Like I said I am happy with its performance.